


Genre Perils

by Elenchus



Category: Marvel (Comics), Ultimate Spider-Man (Cartoon 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Earth-TRN454, F/F, Ficlet, First Kiss, The Spider Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 00:19:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14821653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenchus/pseuds/Elenchus
Summary: Petra has some trouble with magic and goes to Harriet for help.





	Genre Perils

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohbthr (RegicidalDwarf)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegicidalDwarf/gifts).



“Um, Petra? Not that I’m not happy to see you and all, but…why are you outside my window at 11pm? Also, like, how? This is the fifteenth story and I’m pretty sure it was closed-”

“Haaaarrrrry! No time to explain!” Petra hopped inside through the window she’d somehow jiggered open. Classic Petra Parker. “I need you to help me with something.”

Harriet squinted suspiciously at Petra. “What, like homework? Did you forget your textbook at school again?”

“It’s a curse,” said Petra

“I dunno, it’s only been like two or three times, doesn’t seem _that_ bad-”

“No, I’ve been _cursed_. Like, magic.” Petra yanked down the neck of her sweater to show off a line of shining blue runes right above her heart. Harriet tried really hard not to stare.

“How did _that_ happen?”

“Loki,” said Petra, as if that was an adequate answer. Come to think of it, maybe it was. Loki probably cursed a dozen random New Yorkers every day. Ugh, Loki was the worst.

“Sooooo, what do you want me to help with?” asked Harriet. “It’s not like I can read that.”

“Not a problem,” said Petra cheerfully, “I got Thor to translate for me.”

“How did you get the _actual goddess of thunder_ -”

“No time to explain!” Petra interjected hurriedly. “Know a gal who knows a gal, Stark Industries internship, etc. etc. Anyway!!!”

Harriet waited for Petra to say something. Petra didn’t.

“Aaannyway?” Harriet prompted.

“Oh, right. Yeah. Uh.” Petra ran a hand through her hair, absentmindedly mussing it up. It was _so cute_ Harriet wanted to die every time she did it. “Apparently it’s a bit of classic Asgardian poetry from one of their fairy tales. Or maybe it’s a history book? Library filing has got to be a pain on Asgard – do you think they have an ancient Norse dewey decimal system?”

“You are such a dork,” Harriet told her. It came out sounding even fonder than she’d meant. Whoops.

“I don’t remember the whole thing, there were a lot of rhymes, but, um, apparently the gist is that I have to kiss a “maiden fair” in “day’s last hour”? Or else Loki’s going to turn me into a pig and it’ll be pretty hard to get anyone to kiss me then, probably.”

“…oh,” said Harriet.

“Yeah,” said Petra. “Like: I _know_. You can see why I had to come here.”

“Sure. Of course.” Harriet grabbed her phone and opened up her contacts list. “You want the number of all the single girls on the cheerleading squad, or just the ones I know kiss girls? And is that “maiden” thing literal, because I can narrow it down some with that, plus I’m _pretty_ sure you don’t want to kiss Gina, so that leaves-”

“No, that’s not it!” Petra grabbed for Harriet’s phone and ended up with her whole hand instead. “Look, if I just wanted to kiss some random girl I could probably get Lucy to do or even, ugh, Samantha, but I didn’t, I thought…I didn’t want to kiss just anybody for my first kiss ok?”

“…your first kiss?” said Harriet, because that was the only thing she could make sense of at the moment.

Petra threw up her hands. “Hey, excuse me that I’ve been too busy fighting cr-, uh, ignorance about science and poor school funding! I’ve got a lot on my plate, and you would totally be the first one to know if I had a boyfriend. Or. You know. A girlfriend.”

“Right,” said Harriet, feeling dazed. “That all makes sense.” Sort of.

“Besides,” continued Petra, “it’s a fairy-tale-poetry-history-whatever curse, and those things have all _kinds_ of rules, and in the stories it’s always supposed to be someone you really love. And you’re my best friend and also, like super pretty, which the curse thing _definitely_ mentioned, and there’s no one I’d rather have give me a fairy-tale curse ending magical kiss than you. But if you don’t want to, I get it, I’ll find something else and-”

Petra squeaked as Harriet pulled her in for kiss, like she’d been dreaming of doing since they were _twelve_ and Harriet had first figured out how crushes worked. After an awkward moment of not quite fitting together Petra relaxed against Harriet and kissed her enthusiastically back.

“So,” Harriet asked, almost breathless when the kiss finally ended, “did that work?”

Petra pulled the collar of her shirt forward and looked down. “No more glowing, which is probably a good sign. But you know, just to be safe I should probably hang around for a while. Maybe try a few more times. For science!”

“Want to put on a terrible monster movie and make out?” asked Harriet.

“I knew there was a reason you’re my favorite,” said Petra happily.


End file.
